One Day
by Mandarrin
Summary: 2019, Teddy Lupin is an unspeakable. In fact, he is the youngest unspeakable in history. A dangerous artefact is given to him, after being retrieved by The Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, but this is no ordinary muggle artifact. It is a lamp that grants wishes. Teddy is instructed to destroy the lamp, but can he resist getting his only wish granted? COMPLETE.
1. The Lamp

**Author's Note: This is a short story, it will only be a few chapters long, that I have thought about but never fully formed (until now).**

Chapter One: The Lamp.

It was a rainy day in April; the clouds lingered in the sky like bad dreams. Teddy had reached his 21st Birthday but he couldn't help but feel as if it was just another day. He was an unspeakable, and as such he could not speak of his job, it felt quite lonely sometimes. All of his coworkers were many years his senior and treated him as if he were a small child, often dismissing him and all he did. To most, he was just a piece of his father and a piece of his mother, a constant reminder of them and nothing more.

Teddy often wondered about his father and mother. And although people - especially Harry - were more than willing to answer any questions he had, there were some things he could not be given the answers to by anyone... anyone but his parents. Some things he could not be told by anyone else: there were some things no one else could know. Some moments he longed to share with his parents. Some things, some things he could never have.

He thought back to his school years. Teddy had found himself sneaking away from the castle on a regular basis; he would sit in an abandoned bedroom (located inside of the Shrieking Shack). Every month he would take himself there and sit before the mirror. Every month he would examine the photo album Harry had given him for his 11th birthday. And, every month, he would strain himself greatly, in an attempt to imitate his father's likeness. All he wanted was to be closer to his parents, but, he never would be. Teddy often found himself crying into the early hours of the morning on such nights; he felt greatly shameful at the thought of his parents watching him act so pitifully weak.

These thoughts returned to him again when he opened his only assignment for the day:

 _Dear Edward Lupin,_

 _The parcel this letter was delivered with contains a very powerful and ancient artifact. The nature of such an artifact poses a great danger to both muggles and wizards alike. You are instructed to dispose of said 'wishing lamp' immediately._

 _Yours sincerely, Arthur Weasley._

 _Head of The Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office._

Teddy sighed. The number of dangerous muggle artifacts discovered to have magical properties had skyrocketed after the war. Each day, the artifacts became increasingly ridiculous and increasingly dangerous. Never had Teddy heard of any such artifact being sent to an Unspeakable for its disposal. Never had Teddy heard of any magic that could grant wishes either.

' _No! I cannot do that! I would certainly lose my job!'_ , his brain reasoned.

However, his heart offered an argument that was equally compelling, ' _Would it not be worth it? No job could possibly be as valuable as family_ ".

" _Do I want to end up in Azkaban?_ ", his brain was trying to scare his heart into conceding.

" _One day with my parents would give me a lifetime of happiness; no dementor could suck that happiness out of me, try as they might_ ", with that he knew his head had given into his heart's deepest desire.

He carefully removed the lamp from its box. The ornate lamp was inscribed with runes that Teddy could not decipher.

Teddy grasped the lamp, summoning all of his courage, "I wish I could meet my parents, even for just a day".

 **Author's Note: This was a bit different to what I usually write; I hope you enjoyed it, and tell me what you thought.**


	2. I Love You

Chapter Two: I Love You.

Nothing.

"Agh! I knew this stupid lamp wouldn't work! Nothing will ever bring them back!", Teddy found himself yelling as he threw the lamp into his bag and stormed out of his cupboard like office. Walking past all the bemused onlookers, who tutted and whispered about his scowling face and jet black hair, he found his usual quiet spot, beside the fountain. He apparated himself home and flung open the door, still devastated, he heaved himself into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of firewhisky off of the cabinet. SMASH!

"What the... Mum?! Dad?!", Teddy gasped, "This better not be some cruel dark magic!", he could not escape his previous resentment for the lamp, unable to accept the situation. But still, he found himself analysing the two people before him, lapping up every drop of information like water from a river. She, she had bubblegum pink hair and a kind, heart-shaped face; she grinned as if she was a child, caught wrong-doing. He, he looked far older, and as Teddy knew, far older than he was, no, is. His face was deeply scarred and his deep amber eyes were heavy and tired, yet they had a youthful spark within.

"Oh Teddy! How I have missed you! Remus, our baby boy is all grown up!", She looked at him for a moment, "Actually... I am only a few years older than you. I have to say, that is weird!", she laughed as she said this and turned towards his father.

"Teddy... I am sorry", He sighed deeply, "We never meant to leave you...", his face creased as he fought away his tears.

Teddy ran forwards, lunging at both of his parents, as he pulled them into his embrace. His mother proudly pulled him closer and his father smiled sadly: Teddy's features had changed. He was now sporting bubblegum pink hair and bright amber eyes.

"Teddy, may I talk to you, in private? There is something I wish to speak of", Remus whispered, pulling Teddy towards the bedroom, that was once his own.

"Sure, what's up Dad?", the word felt so new to Teddy, he could not help but use it as much as possible.

"I see you have a girlfriend...", Remus spoke softly; his face remained neutral.

'Oh no', Teddy thought, 'Never did I imagine, Dad and I, well, I didn't imagine he'd use this time to give me _The Talk"._

"Well done Teddy!", Remus could no longer keep a straight face, "I, no, your mother and I, we would love to meet her!". Remus glanced at the door, sighing, "Isn't that right, Dora?".

Giggles could be heard from just beyond the door, "Of course we want to meet the girl that has stolen our little boy". The door opened, "How did you know, Remmie?".

"Nymphadora, you are the clumsiest girl I have ever met, of course I could hear you, werewolf or not", Teddy sniggered slightly. He knew his mother hated being called by her first name, and based on the sly look his father gave him, he knew so too.

"I must get Victoire! I cannot wait for her to meet you both!", Teddy embraced his parents again -slightly fearful of ever letting go. "This is the best day of my life! I have so many things I want to talk about!", Teddy ran towards the fireplace.

Teddy grabbed some floo powder; then he paused, "But first, there is one thing I must say: _I love you Mum, I love you Dad!_ ".

 **Author's Note: I want to thank Rose (spittingllama7856) for helping me come up with this chapter, as well as much of the next chapter. I couldn't have done this without her.**

 **I was so excited to continue this fic, so I decided I would upload early! I hope you enjoyed, any feedback (even bad feedback) is much appreciated because it helps me improve and motivates me.**


	3. Surprise

**Author's Note: The rating has been upped a bit for this chapter, there is a bit of profanity, I'm afraid. If you don't like potty-mouthed characters, I suggest you discontinue reading this. Enjoy though guys!**

Chapter Three: Surprise.

"Oh! Hi Teddy! Aren't you early?", said Mrs Weasley, raising her eyebrow slightly as she smiled.

"Hello Molly. I was just looking for Victoire, I would like to show her something", Teddy knew he was a truly terrible liar, something he must have inherited from his father. Instead, he decided to be vague and secretive, 'I _absolutely cannot_ tell anyone about this, even Molly or Harry', thought Teddy.

Though he did not want to admit it - even to himself - Teddy was afraid of Victoire meeting his parents. He had even considered going home and making some daft excuse, to get out of such a meeting. It was inevitable, he wanted to honour his parents' only wish, even if it did not appeal to him.

"What could you _possibly_ want Victoire for?", Molly smirked, though not unkindly: Teddy sighed. He knew full well that she was trying to pry him open, as it was by no means difficult, and learn exactly what he was hiding.

He held strong, knowing the consequences of failing to do so, "I am terribly sorry, Molly, I cannot say", she bore into his face as he said this, "though it would mean a lot to me, were Victoire to come with me now", he paused, morphing his eyes slightly brighter, "please?".

She relented, allowing him to pass up the stairs, as she gave him a soft, all-knowing, motherly grin. He found her in Ginny's old room, exactly where he always found her, and sat himself at her side.

"Teddy! I'm so glad to see you! How come you finished work so early?", Victoire was truly a beautiful blonde, though only a fool would dare call her dumb. Teddy knew she was slightly suspicious of his sudden appearance, but she said nothing.

"I have the greatest surprise, may I cover your eyes so we can apparate to my house?", Teddy held her hand as he said this, allowing her warmth to flow through him.

"This is sudden Teddy, why would you need to blindfold me? I do know how messy your house is, it is pointless to hide it now", she laughed, trying to hide her uncertainty under her wit.

Teddy found himself unable to contain his excitement, "Just trust me; all will be revealed", he pulled off his scarf, tying it around her face. Planting a brief kiss on her cheek, his grip tightened, and the pair apparated.

"Just a little further", Teddy led Victoire towards the sofa and settled her before his parents. "Surprise!", he said, pulling the scarf from around her eyes.

"What the actual fuck, Teddy?", Teddy had forgotten how profane Victoire was: this would not be a great first impresson...

"Your parents... Your parents are fucking dead! This is not a bloody good surprise, Teddy, you little shit!", she had gone visibly red; Teddy had forgotten how much her Veela blood started to show when she was pissed.

"My reaction was quite similar, I must confess. It is quite shocking, being dead for almost twenty years, only for your son to wish you back".

Remus chuckled slightly, 'My son has chosen a rather feisty girl, beautiful too. I am glad I finally got to meet her, after all of this time...'.

"Though, I was not quite as vocal as you about such things", he covered his mouth, attempting to stifle his laughter.

Tonks was visibly crying - due to her own amusement, "I suppose we have quite a lot of catching up to do, don't we?".


	4. Better Than Anything

**Author's Note: This story is getting close to it's end. I have really enjoyed writing it and, although I haven't added to it recently, I am going to finish it soon.**

 **This chapter was Rose's (Spittingllama7856's) idea, I honestly can't thank her enough for helping me with this story. It was really hard to think of what they would spend their only day together doing, and Rose helped me choose what they would do. You should go and check out her work btw (it's a lot better than mine).**

Chapter Four: Better Than Anything.

"A bloody muggle restaurant?!", Victoire whispered to Teddy with a look of amused bewilderment.

Teddy held Victoire's hand, pulling her away from his parents, he explained his strange choice of activity, "When I was a fifth year, I found myself searching the Shrieking Shack. As I was looking through the bookshelves, I found a diary. I found my father's diary".

He lowered his voice further, "I sat, by the candlelight, and read it thousands of times, looking for anything about him. One entry was particularly depressing. My father thought he would always be alone, but, were he to ever find anyone (though he believed he would not), he would take them to a romantic Italian restaurant and kiss them, like in every 'sickeningly romantic' Muggle film".

Teddy looked down at the floor, a tear forming in his eye, as he drew in a deep breath, "My parents met during the war, they never got the chance to do all the things they dreamed of. I want to bring my father's dream to life".

Victoire drew Teddy in, smiling sadly, "That is the most wonderful and thoughtful thing I've ever heard. I really love you Teddy". She planted a kiss on his cheek and held his hand tightly, as they walked towards his parents.

The restaurant had a faint glow that calmed Teddy. The muted colours dulled his senses, and the aromas surrounding him swam lazily in his head. He could see why Muggles found the place so charming; he could see why his father dreamed of such cliched romance.

After several wines, everyone - except Remus, who decided it was unwise to drink - was drunk, _especially_ Tonks. The air was hazy with the smell of expensive alcohol. Remus could not help but be slightly amused: Tonks had given up her own chair, finding Remus' lap far more comfortable; she was slowly undoing his tie as she spoke, "Chocolate is an aphrodisiac, you know? You love chocolate Remmie". By this point she was spoon feeding Remus a chocolate tiramisu, and failing miserably - as the majority ended up on Remus' shirt.

"Honey, your shirt is _really_ dirty. You should take it off", Tonks giggled and winked as she started undoing the buttons.

"As tempting as it may be, it's only half-eleven, _darling_ " Remus sighed, she was morphing slightly, to emphasise her puppy dog eyes, "Half-eleven _in the morning_!".

Most children would feel rather embarrassed if their parents behaved so strangely in front of their girlfriend, but not Teddy. Teddy felt elated as he twirled Victoire's hair, observing his parents with his uttermost fascination. He was just so glad he could finally meet them, and he was so glad Victoire was there by his side.

"Mum?", Teddy laughed, "Dad, I think Mum has fallen asleep!".

"Oh, I forgot your mother was a sleepy drunk", Remus softly smiled, "I'm really sorry, I'm afraid she was a little _too_ excited for our first ever double date".

"Dad", 'what a beautifully strange word', thought Teddy, "Today has been better than anything I could have wished for. Let's go home".

Remus picked Tonks up, kissing her forehead lightly as he gently cradled her in his arms, "Let's get you some coffee, Dora".

 **Author's Note: There is one final chapter to go - if I don't get too distracted. I hope you guys enjoyed reading this as much as I'm enjoying writing it.**


	5. Treasure This Day

**Author's Note: This is the final chapter. I could have split it in half but it felt pretty unnecessary.**

 **Sorry for keeping you all waiting, I've been super busy. Enjoy!**

Chapter Five: Treasure This Day.

"Fuck I can't even... FUCK!", Victoire had stumbled gracelessly onto the floor.

"Victoire! Are you ok?", Teddy ran forwards to catch her, and - despite not being very drunk - failed abysmally. He instead fell in a heap beside her, laughing and smiling.

"The fucking floor fucking tripped me, fuck the fucking floor!", Victoire had become a dangerous combination of clumsy and irritated.

"It's ok, maybe you should go home and get some rest?", Teddy held her hand gently as he pulled the two of them up. He saw her deadly glare and grinned, "I'll keep you safe! The 'fucking floor' cannot harm you".

Victoire giggled as Teddy wrapped his arms around her and apparated.

"Shit, I don't feel too...", Victoire vomited a watery pool of acid onto the kitchen floor of The Burrow. She started crying and sat on the floor, unable to prevent further attacks of vomit.

Molly Weasley ran down the stairs at a shocking speed rarely seen, "What have you done to my granddaughter?". Molly did not sound angry: she sounded disappointed, "Edward Lupin! I cannot believe you brought my precious Victoire home drunk!".

The alternating sounds of vomiting and sobbing pulled Molly away from Teddy prematurely. "I think I am going to die!".

"Nonsense dear", Molly held back Victoire's hair. "You just need to flush it out of your system", Molly looked at her floor with deep sadness, "Though I would much rather you 'cleanse' yourself in the bathroom". Molly ushered Victoire up the stairs, hastily vanishing each pile of sick she met along the way.

Teddy felt terrible, "Ms Weasley, I am so so very sorry", he felt his eyes well up, "I never meant for...".

"Don't worry yourself love, everyone comes home like this at least once", Molly smiled softly, "Get yourself home and rest". Teddy gave Molly a concerned look, "She will be fine with me. Do you think this is the first time I've seen this?", she chuckled slightly and walked upstairs.

Teddy apparated, though he felt guilty, he knew Victoire would understand.

"Mum, Dad, I'm home!", Teddy shouted through the door. It felt so natural; that was when it dawned on him how he could not bare to lose them again.

"Hey Teddy!", Tonks bounded down the stairs and, jumping the last few steps, she hugged him, "What are we gonna do now?".

Remus followed her cautiously, "We really do not have much time left". Remus smiled sadly as he saw Teddy solemn expression, "Everybody has to move on Teddy; we can't stay forever".

"Any last requests?", Tonks gleefully asked. Her face dropped when her eyes met Teddy's: he was on the verge of tears.

"I want a photograph. I want to know it was real. And I mean _know_ ", Teddy walked towards the bookshelves. He pulled out a large, leather bound book then flipped to the last page: every page was full, except the last.

"If you remove the false back from the top drawer of my desk, I believe you will find the camera I took with me to Hogwarts", Remus said with a nostalgic expression spreading across his face.

Teddy felt surprised that he had never noticed the drawer's hidden back. It felt as if he would never know as much as he would like to, and that was ok. "Dad, please can you get it for us?".

Moments later, the family had positioned themselves -camera in hand - outside. "Guys? Who's gonna take the photo if we are all in the photo?", Tonks questioned.

Teddy laughed, "It's fine Mum! We can take a selfie!".

Tonks rolled her eyes and laughed, "I'm not even gonna ask what that is".

"Right, everybody move closer", Teddy couldn't contain his excitement, he had spent the day with the people he loved most: his wish had been fufillled.

Flash! The overexposure made everyone recoil slightly. Remus shook the picture and handed it to Teddy, Teddy looked down at the people appearing from the darkness. They were all so happy.

"Mum? Dad?", Teddy looked up.

"I will treasure this day, _always"._


End file.
